SCIENTIFIC CONSULTING / CONTRACT R&D
Scientific R&D.
Custom instrumentation.
Partner with specialized PhD-level engineers and scientists to transition core physics into robust, field ready instruments.
Optics & Photonics
Measurement & Automation
Modeling & Analysis
What we can help you build, measure, & understand
Optical System Design
Design and refine optical measurement setups for spectroscopy, polarimetry, and advanced photonics.
Custom Instrumentation
Integrate optics, electronics, and mechanical components into experimental systems built around your measurement needs.
Materials & Device Characterization
Develop measurements to investigate optical, nonlinear, and magnetic responses in materials and devices.
Automation & Data Acquisition
Automate instrument control, data collection, and analysis to make experiments more repeatable and easier to run.
Modeling & Simulation
Use electromagnetic simulation and numerical analysis to evaluate designs, interpret results, and guide experiments.
Experimental Troubleshooting
Identify sources of inconsistent data, test competing explanations, and improve measurement reliability.
SELECTED PROJECTS
01/
Custom Infrared Polarimetry
Instrumentation
Developed a spectroscopic method to measure how a tunable metasurface changes the polarization of infrared light. Checked the results against a separate polarimetry experiment to verify the technique.
02/
Ultrafast Optical Switching
Characterization
Designed infrared experiments to characterize how nanocrystal metasurfaces respond to ultrashort laser pulses. Measured changes in reflectivity and recovery time to investigate their potential for rapid optical switching.
03/
Photonic Crystal Waveguide Model
Simulation & modeling
Used COMSOL to simulate photonic-crystal waveguides, including paths with sharp bends. Compared lattice geometries, calculated optical modes, and examined how light propagates along interfaces between different crystal structures.
the people behind paluxy
Zach Brown, PhD
Zach is an experimental condensed matter physicist specializing in optical instrumentation and custom measurement techniques. His experience spans infrared optics, polarimetry, and magnetometry, with a focus on integrating optics, electronics, and automation into reliable experimental systems.
Madeline Brown, PhD
Madeline is a photonics researcher with a background in physics and electrical engineering. She combines ultrafast optical experiments, MATLAB automation, and COMSOL modeling to characterize materials and devices, troubleshoot experimental systems, and develop repeatable measurement methods.
Start with a conversation
Share your technical challenge, what you have already tried, and your project timeline. We’ll discuss how our experience fits your needs and what an initial scope of work could involve.
Serving Houston, Austin, and Dallas–Fort Worth, with on-site and remote support.